Reservists’ Strength Unites the State and Entrepreneurs

At the opening of the business season on September 6, Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur and Toomas Luman, Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, signed a goodwill agreement to promote cooperation in supporting reservists and recognizing their role as the backbone of national defence.

"Reservists are the core strength of our national defence and at the same time an invaluable asset to Estonian employers. This goodwill agreement is an important step that demonstrates national defence is a shared effort, where the public and private sectors come together to contribute to Estonia’s security. The role of the Ministry of Defence is to create conditions that make this step easy for employers – by recognizing contributors, consistently sharing information, and maintaining active cooperation with businesses," said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.

The aim of the agreement is to strengthen cooperation between reservists and employers to ensure reservists' participation in training exercises and to value their contribution both in national defence and in the labour market. From a national defence perspective, employer support for reservists is essential. "Our goal is to increase reservist participation in training exercises, where the employers’ contribution is invaluable – whether it’s maintaining income during the training, supporting families, or recognizing skills gained in the reserves on the labour market," Pevkur added.

Through this agreement, the Ministry of Defence and the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry invite other Estonian employers to join the goodwill initiative. "Together we show that Estonia’s defence capability is not just about weapons and equipment, but also about the willingness of our people and businesses to stand for their country. That is our shared strength," the Minister noted, adding that similar agreements can also be concluded with professional associations and private companies.

A similar agreement was signed on September 17 with the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, and another will be signed with the Estonian Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises on November 5.